It was lunchtime on the fourth day since Yuki had started coming to school. The four of us again ate our lunch together on the rooftop. Because we’re addicted to the freedom which the rooftop provides us. The teachers haven’t noticed us yet, so we’re probably fine.
“Hey, guys. Did you see the show 『Now, Love has Began』on Kabama yesterday? I think it was really love to see how it turned out.”
Yukari asked us to talk about something more exciting than what we are discussing already. Wait, was it a romantic show which becomes popular nowadays?
“All I know is the name of the show.”
“I’m not interested, so I haven’t watched it.”
“I don’t know either.......”
The other three people were not watching the show, although it looked like Yukari wanted to talk about it.
“Seriously? I’m not sure what to say. You all are wasting your youth. The show,『Now, Love has Began』is the Oxygen for High School students.”
“You’re exaggerating too much. Is it really that much interesting?”
“I’m glad you asked, Kouichi! Well, the story is a long one, and it started with a group of high school students who have never encountered......”
Then Yukari started to talk about the show. To be honest, the only thing I can understand is, she loves the show too much.
“...So, you know. Yesterday, in the last episode, Amemiya-kun and Yui-chan finally became a couple! The kissing scene at the end of the episode, after they confessed their feelings for each other, was really great....... You should watch it too, Hamachi-san; it’s a romantic show after all.”
“Oh, really. I’ll watch it then.”
“Ending with a kissing scene is kind of cheap. Is it really interesting?”
“Shut up, Kouichi. It’s called “simple is best”. It is already a truism in the world for couples to kiss each other to express their feelings.”
Yukari’s words make my heart skip a beat. I’m not even going out with Yuki yet, and moreover, I’m kissing her, who has in-laws.
“But in other countries, people consider kiss as greetings.”
“No, it’s their culture, not Japanese. In the first place, the only kiss you can get as a greeting is on the cheek.”
“If so, they kiss each other even though they are not in a relationship.”
“That’s just because they’re jerks. Kissing is sacred and belongs only to the couple!”
This time, Yukari's words pierced through my heart sharply. I don’t know what Yuki wanted to prove, but from an outsider’s point of view, what we’re doing is revealing that we are in a relationship. I knew I was doing something wrong, but it hits me hard when someone makes me realize it again. I’m sure we're not the only ones......
“What’s wrong, Hiroki? You don’t look like well!”
“...No, nothing.”
It seemed like unconsciously my inner thoughts were showing on my face. Maybe Kouichi read my face and was worried about me.
“I know the reason. You have a match in a few days, so you must be worried about it.”
I am glad that our secret had not been discovered, but Kouichi’s words were not entirely wrong. I’ve been worried about the upcoming game for a while now.
“Huh? Do you have an upcoming game......Hiro-kun?”
“Hey Hiroki, didn’t you tell Hamachi-san that you have a prefectural tournament match?”
However, this is where Yuki found out that I had a match. No, I had no intention of hiding it from her, but I didn’t dare to...... invite her because I’d already given up.
“.........I just couldn’t find the right time.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine, Hiroki. It’s your chance to start and show off your skills. You looked so cool in the previous game, and I couldn’t believe it!”
“Don’t be so dramatic! Compared to you who played at forward, I’m not in a position to stand out, and there’s nothing cool about.......”
“No, of course not! Hiroki's performance was too good in the last match. He was the only one who only played more calmly than anyone else, and he’s the one who keeps the team more stable. So have confidence in yourself, I assure you.”
Yukari said happily with a severe expression on her face when I despised myself. It was a little unexpected for her to praise me so much, but I was honestly happy.
“Thank you, Yukari. If Yukari says so much about me, I can’t help but have confidence in myself.”
“Yes, of course! So, keep your head up and play your part in the game!”
“Of course, I will.”
“Give me some credit too.”
“You’ve scored a lot of goals, which is amazing. But your defensive consciousness is too low at the front.”
“You’re Harsh....... So, what about you, Hamachi-san? Would you like to go and watch Hiroki's game for which Yukari praised him so much?”
If she comes, I’m not sure if I play well.
Suddenly Yuki’s cheeks turned red, but as others won’t notice her expression, she smiled and said,
“I want to watch. I really want to see Hiroki’s cool performance......”
“Oh, really! You should come and see it!”
I couldn’t help but smile back at her. Because......I really want Yuki to come and see it. I wanted to beat myself over the head for hesitating to ask her to come, even though it was such a big deal.
“It’s settled then. But since there aren’t any seats available, should I get a place or something?”
“Only the senior managers are allowed to stay on the bench. So I’ll be watching the game with Hamachi-san. Is it alright?”
“......Uh, yeah. Thank you, Hayashibara-san.”
“Thank you, Yukari, for everything you’ve done for Yuki.”
“Well, you’re my friend, so you deserve this. Oh crap, we should finish eating before it’s too late.”
“Yes, yes, let’s hurry up and eat!”
The time was running out, so we hurriedly ate our lunch and went back to class.
Then, after school, Yuki and I sneaked into an empty classroom between the break before the club activities started.
“...This classroom should be safe for us. Is this a good place?”
“Uh, yeah.”
It was a bad idea to kiss in a high-risk location like what we did yesterday, so I suggested Yuki on LINE application to do it here at this place. Yuki also agreed with my suggestion, so it looks like we won’t have to do it at the last minute like yesterday.
“I’m sorry......for forcing you to spare time for me.”
“Don’t worry about it, I promised you after all. It would be a bigger problem if someone......found out.”
“......Hey Hiro-kun. Are you really worried about what Hayashibara-san said at lunchtime?”
“What? No, not really.”
“Lie. Because Hiro-kun, you looked uncomfortable when Hayashibara-san was talking about it. And......you still look like you’re suffering.”
She saw right through me. I’m not sure if it’s just my face revealing itself so easily.
“There is no need for you to worry about it, Hiro-kun. Because you’re just fulfilling my promise. It’s...... me who’s the scum.”
“No, that’s not true .......”
Her expression looked depressed, and Yuki seemed more concerned about what Yukari had said. I tried to cheer her up, but I couldn’t find the right words. I didn’t know what Yuki was thinking when she kissed me.
“But it’s okay to be a jerk. The only way I can be helped is......continuing this....”
“What do you mean?”
“......Hey, kiss me!!! If the conversation gets too long, Hiro-kun, you’ll be late for club activities.”
Yuki ignored my question and pushed me closer for a kiss. I wanted to continue with my question, but Yuki was right. There was no time to spare. If I continued the conversation, I would be late for club activities. If I were late for the club activities, it would look suspicious, and I might not be able to participate in the game even though Yuki had agreed to watch the game.
“......Okay.”
So I followed Yuki’s advice. And then Yuki kissed me on my lips. Yuki is getting better at kissing again, and the sweet sensation dominates my body. But I wonder if we were a couple, this kiss would become more pleasant instead of painful and guilty. I suddenly thought, how would it feel?
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